Energy management consultants

Many companies bring in energy management consultants to do an energy audit for them. Independent consultants bring a fresh perspective and can see energy waste that staff take for granted.

Energy consultants look at everything that affects your energy use, and puts numbers to anecdotal information.

They will report their findings to your management team, who are encouraged to share the results with the rest of the company. The findings often help everyone to use energy more efficiently.

 

What to look for in a consultant :

 

• Recommendation – particularly a personal referral from satisfied clients.
• Qualifications – including membership to the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand (MIPENZ).
• Experience – in areas such as energy auditing, business, contract administration and communication.
• Size – the consultancy should be resourced to cope with the size and complexity of your job.
• Skills – in plant design, operating and management.

 

How to choose a consultant

 

We recommend this process:

• Define the task and terms of reference
• Look at the experience and skills of several energy management consultants. We have a database with this information. ACENZ and IPENZ also can supply lists of independent consultants.
• Shortlist and contact consultants to gauge their interest in your project and request a proposal
• Rank proposals using criteria like technical competence, experience, managerial ability, available resources, professional integrity and cost.

 

The brief

 

If you want specific results, be specific in your brief. Your request for proposal should cover:

• the project scope
• timeframe
• background information
• staging - initial survey to set scope, then a further brief
• overall project approach
• follow-up
• fees - usually a fixed fee is charged for the initial audit phase and further work is priced after that or an hourly rate negotiated.

 

Follow-up

 

The audit needs to recommend improvements that can be carried out and maintained by the people who run the plant. The consultant’s recommendations need to account for things like the time needed for implementation and construction.

Holding a staff de-briefing after the audit to give people the chance to critically assess the consultant’s reports.